Ha Long Bay Conical Hat Wanderer
Early morning the next day after spending a night at Ha Long Bay, our next activity after having a hearty breakfast was to explore a Ha Long Bay Hidden Lagoon. Not too far from where we were anchored that night we took a small boat, which can cross through a low passage under a lime stone karst. This would be our last attraction to visit, after this we would be going back to the port of Ha Long and drive back to Hanoi.
Emerging from the Lagoon Passage
The said Ha Long Bay Hidden Lagoon is only accessible in the morning when the tide is low since the passage is submerged during high tide. It was only a short ride from our boat and the passage is not that deep.
Ha Long Bay Hidden Lagoon Passage
We found ourselves soon in an enclosed lime stone which they called a hidden lagoon. The lime stone walls there looks impressive but that’s most of it. Our boat only just went around the place which isn’t actually very big and there’s no land there to dock or step on. Honestly I found it not that impressive as our Kayangan or Barracuda Lake.
Ha Long Bay Hidden Lagoon Explorers
When we got back at our Junk, we were given a couple of hours to prepare our bags and check out from our room as we head back to land. We still had our lunch at the boat and got to know more about our junk mates. It was a merry mix of nationalities there. From Vietnamese who grew up in USA, John and his Korean girlfriend, JJ, their Taiwanese friend joining along, Jessie. Taiwanese businessman Jim and German student Felix.
vietnam – all aboard the aloha junk. standing from l-r – ferdz aka ironwulf, jessie (taiwan), jj (korea), mark (vietnam), felix (germany), jim (taiwan); kneeling: oggie aka lagal[og], and our guide, phu
This trip at Ha Long Bay was a delightful feast on the visual perception, but it was made more fun being with the company of this small group of young and vibrant travelers. As with any travel companions on the road, there is a time when we must part ways. We may or may not cross paths again on the road in the future but they’ve been a part of this memorable experience already so it would be delightful too see again someday.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
